Update from College Secretary and Director, College Health Service to students and staff
26 March 2021
Dear students and colleagues
Below please find an important update regarding mandatory hotel quarantine which came into effect as of 4am this morning.
Students and staff travelling to Ireland
New Government regulations stipulate that passengers arriving into Ireland from designated 'high risk' States are now required to pre-book accommodation in a designated quarantine facility, and to pre-pay for their stay. This includes if you have been in a high risk country at any time in the 14 days before you arrive in Ireland and if you have travelled through an airport in a 'high risk' country.All passengers coming into Ireland must complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form and provide evidence that you have a negative or ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test carried out no more than 72 hours before you arrive into Ireland, or have evidence that you are exempt from this legal requirement.
A mandatory requirement to quarantine has been introduced for all travellers (except if your journey originates in Northern Ireland) – with very limited exception. Please refer to the government’s website for full details.
If you come to Ireland without a negative or ‘not detected’ PCR test, regardless of which country you arrive from, you must complete mandatory quarantine in a hotel which will finish once a ‘not detected’ result from a COVID-19 PCR test is returned.If you come to Ireland from any country not deemed ‘high risk’ you must have a negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival and may carry out your quarantine at home for 14 days. This 14-day quarantine can be reduced by having a further negative PCR test from Day 5 after arriving in Ireland.
Please take the time to carefully read all of the detailed information from the government on these measures outlined here.
HSE walk-in testing for asymptomatic people
As part of the HSE’s enhanced COVID-19 testing for local communities, five new ‘walk-in, no appointment necessary’ COVID-19 testing centres have opened to actively look for cases of COVID-19.
Aimed at people who may have COVID-19 and are asymptomatic, the pop-up centres are open from 11am to 7pm until Wednesday 31 March in the following locations:
- National Aquatic Centre – Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 – D15HT9N
- Tallaght Stadium – Tallaght, Dublin 24 – D24FNK6
- Irishtown Stadium – Irishtown, Dublin 4 – D04KN77
- Tullamore Leisure Centre – Tullamore, Co Offaly – R35A594
- Grangegorman Primary Care Centre car park, Dublin 7 (entrance off NCR)-beside Technological University Dublin campus – D07VPT0
This initiative is aimed at asymptomatic people and you can find more information here. Anyone with symptoms should go through the normal channels, i.e. contact your own GP or College Health at Tel 01 896 1556.
Chill out on campus safely!
Students sitting on deck chairs is a new sight on campus! TCDSU and Estates and Facilities have provided 50 deck chairs along with socially distanced markings on the ground as a mitigation measure against congregation, especially during the lunch period.
Operating on a self-service basis, the deck chairs can be collected and returned to the dedicated cabins by the Chapel, Buttery, Rubrics and in Fellows Square. Please use the disinfectant supplied to wipe your deck chair before and after use.
Available between 9am and 7pm, the deck chairs can be used in five different locations on Fellows Square, Front Square and Library Square.As always, please continue to take all preventative measures on campus and at home to stop the spread of the virus to keep one another safe. These include hand washing, cough etiquette, face coverings and physical distancing. Thank you.
Stay safe. Stay well. Bígí slán agus sábháilte.
Kind regards,
John Coman, Secretary to the College
Seán Ó Comáin, Rúnaí an Choláiste
Dr David McGrath, Director, College Health Service
An Dr Daithi Mac Craith, Stiúrthóir, Seirbhís Sláinte an Choláiste